FCAT Testing Begins Tuesday

The all important Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, FCAT, gets underway Tuesday, February 9th.

Area 4th, 8th, and 10th graders will begin with the writing section of the test.

It's a timed exam, allowing students 45-minutes to write an essay in response to a state-issued prompt.

After the writing portion, students will get a 1-month break, then take the rest of the FCAT. The reading, math, and science sections of the test will begin March 9th.

These tests can induce a good deal of stress among students. If your child is feeling anxiety about the FCAT, there are ways parents can help.

“Help them remember that this is just a test like any other test. Help them not stress over it. If parents can just help them de-stress a little bit, I think it will help the student performance on the test,” said Jan Chapman, Bay District Schools FCAT Program Manager.

State Department of Education officials are offering tips and testing resources on their website linked below as well.

“I would really recommend looking at those release tests because those are the tests that were in circulation that they now have taken out of circulation. You can see exactly what the test will look like, the types of skills that are assessed, type of questions that are asked, and that's very comforting for students to know that up front, so they understand what type of test this will be,” said Chapman.

Educators also recommend children get plenty of sleep and eat a well balanced breakfast on testing days.

Students who are absent tomorrow, can take a make-up test Wednesday, February 10, or Thursday, February 11.

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